Hey im new

[lightspeed]

hey im new here. I dont got an Astra yet but im thinking about buying one.

I was just wondering what car clubs actually do and what yours does.
Also whats the age groups and where abouts are the groups in Sydney/NSW area?

Cheerz :)

lightspeed

[Tigra]

Hey, welcome.

No age groups here!

[ASTRAY]

ok ok i had to post.
think of this site more of a place where everyone can chat to each other, provide info, give opinions and best of all help you no matter what your situation is regarding opels , vauxhalls and holdens.
in my opinion ( and many people would say im correct) this site is much more than any ordinary car club could ever provide.
occassionally there are meets, where everyone gets together in their respective states/regions, these meets arent always on fixed dates, most are started by ordinary members like you and i.
everyone attending gets together, goes for a cruise, usually ending with a nice photoshoot. :)
anytime you have a question, day or night, you can come on and ask your question and anyone that is on will do their best to help.

i think the best thing about this site is you can get help from anyone around the country and sometimes even fom people from other countries.
i dont know of any other car "club" that provides that much.
you can check out other members cars, stereo systems and modificatons.

also, most of the time, memebers of this site will know more info about your car than holden do.
so untill you get your astra, have a look around, have a chat with other members, voice your opinions and have a great stay!
and when you do get your astra, be sure to start a thread in the members cars section and post some photos of your new found joy.
hope to see you around!
jason.
ps , if your unsure of certain things when shopping around for your car, let us know and we will all be happy to help in every way we can, some of the members may even be able to help you find your new pride and joy.
one thing is sure, this site can help you get the most out of your car for years to come!

[lightspeed]

Thanks heaps man.

It sounds like i picked the right club! ;)

[OPC]

welcome buddy

im just down the mountains in penruff

[mr corsa]

welcome to the forum (its not a club)

[OPC]

welcome to the forum (its not a club)


its a fight club... lots of keyboard warriors here and black belts in knitting

[Calibrated]

Welcome mate. which astra are you looking at getting?

[lightspeed]

howz it going

im thinking about getting a 1999 or 2001 Astra hatch ive seen afew around $7gzzz but it'll take me quiet a while to save

[auzvectra]

take note that there is 2 motor's, the X18xe and the Z18xe.
if you can avoid it, dont get the x18xe motor, it's nowhere near as good as the z18xe.
and have a good look around, low astra on here had his 04 sxi 3 door for sale for only 9K, with lower suspension and turbo front bar.

[ASTRAY]

i beleive thats a bloody great price!

[Ice]

Welcome matey !

there is tonnes of info on this site.....you name it and you will get an answer from any one of dozens of members waiting to share their knowledge. Jayastrea is right.....try and get a newer model astra...same shape as what your after but a much improved engine.

Hope to see you round soon dude !

ICE

[btm]

welcome lightspeed.

there is a wealth of information that should make your purchase an easy one - even if its not an astra or even a holden/opel that you go for in the end

i'm from the southern burbs of sydney down in 'the shire'

hope to see you on a cruise sometime!

[lightspeed]

thanks guys :)

um well the thing is ima P plater so i cant drive turbo's and also i want a 5 door... btw if u do burnouts in an astra does it mess up anything?

[btm]

btw if u do burnouts in an astra does it mess up anything?
pretty much only your tyres :p

[lightspeed]

ahaha yeah but what about the gear box and the clutch???? How much do new tires usually cost??

[btm]

depends on a lot of things really there... size and profile of tyre etc

[ASTRAY]

also astras are equipped with traction control (i doubt all are but id say most) if you try to do a burnout the wheels will spin but only for a couple of seconds and then tc kick in and well, end of burnout lol.
i know on autos you can turn tc off, but manual you cant, but id say you can disconnect it somehow though.

[btm]

some guys have installed a TC switch in their manual cars

[ASTRAY]

tell me more! tell me more!

[btm]

tell me more! tell me more!

just did a search

http://www.opelaus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18&highlight=traction+control+switch

http://www.opelaus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12778&highlight=traction+control+switch

there are heaps more too. just search ;)

[lightspeed]

ahah far out man ahh well aslong as i get some smoke then its all good. Ah yeah another thing, if you were to say replace the stock CD player, it has an alarm right? How do u do it?

[btm]

no alarm as such. its coded so that if its removed and reconnected it wont work without the code put into it first

[lightspeed]

ohh ok... i see in ur name thing u have a 2.2 ltr hows it go on fuel?

[ASTRAY]

ahah far out man ahh well aslong as i get some smoke then its all good. Ah yeah another thing, if you were to say replace the stock CD player, it has an alarm right? How do u do it?
no alarm, but i will tell you this.
the astras stereo has a function where as you increase speed the stereo increases volume by itself,(to compensate for increased road noise etc) i cant remember exactly what the speeds are but i think its something like 40km, 60km and 80km, i know there are actually 5 or 6 different speeds it changes at. it also turns itself down in the same way.
when you hook up a new stereo your new stereo wont do the same thing, it just stays at the level you have it at.
you also lose the display of vol, bass, treb, track on the little screen at the top of your console, but trust me its all worth it.
also get a aerial plug adaptor, the astras stock plug is covered by a plastic clip and is a bitch to fit into aftermarket stereos.
try this plug or something similar,
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280248819249&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018
as for smoke off your tyres, it all depends on your tyres, some tyres will smoke straight away, some wont.
also you may find removing your astras stock stereo a bitch too, you will need special tools to remove it, follow my "how to" on how to make your own tools and you will find it much easier!
http://www.opelaus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15259
i am still yet to finish it off with how to actually remove the stereo, but the how to make the tools is finished.

[lightspeed]

this forum has been such a great help.. thanks heaps!!

but yeah the reason why i wanted an aftermarket CD player was so i could put an Amp in coz stock CD players dont have RCA outs.

So what exaclty will the little screen show once the stock CD player is gone. Will it just have the time?

[auzvectra]

if you install the unit with the power line still connect to the dash it will just be blank, if you dont connect the wire it will say the date (as if the headunit was off).
although clint was working on a digital tacho add on for it.

oh and you can just get a high to lowpass converter for it, about $50, cheaper then a unit, n u keep the steering controls then, if you have them.

[ASTRAY]

this forum has been such a great help.. thanks heaps!!

but yeah the reason why i wanted an aftermarket CD player was so i could put an Amp in coz stock CD players dont have RCA outs.

So what exaclty will the little screen show once the stock CD player is gone. Will it just have the time?

mine still shows up the time and temperature, and when you turn your stereo off it shows the date.
you can just wire the stock wires up to the amp off the stock stereo if you like, it will be a headache though.
and trust me, you want to change the stereo anyway, most aftermarket stereos will give much better sound quality than the stock head unit could ever give.

[auzvectra]

keeping in mind the aftermarket blaupunkts are great as you can get models that can have a patch added to keep the display and controls.

[Calibrated]

JVC, Alpine and Kenwood have adapters to keep the display and steering controls. not cheap and only on certain models.

[btm]

ohh ok... i see in ur name thing u have a 2.2 ltr hows it go on fuel?

i find it fine. its only uses slightly more than the 1.8L

[Tfer]

its a fight club... lots of keyboard warriors here and black belts in knitting

Hahahahahahaha :D

Welcome to Opelaus :)